Don't Forget Me
by Lil-Brown-wRen
Summary: When Ichigo returns to Japan after visiting Masaya in Englad, she's involved in an accident while trying to save a cat. When Masaya's class visits in two weeks, will Ichigo be able to see him? Will she want to?
1. The Accident

Disclaimer: I don't own Tokyo Mew Mew… I didn't create the storyline or the art (I wish I could draw like that… or at all…); I'm just using the characters and ideas to write my own little story. Thank you, Mia Ikumi!

----

The Accident

"I love you, Masaya!"

"I love you too, Ichigo." Masaya looked fondly at the girl as she pulled away gently.

"I've got to go." She smiled at him, but there were tears in her eyes. "I'll write to you every day."

"I know you will. I miss you already." Masaya watched Ichigo walk towards the terminal to catch her plane. For the last three weeks, she had been visiting him in England. Now, she was going back to Japan so she could get ready for school to start. "Ichigo?" he called at the last minute. She turned. "Don't forget me, alright?"

A bright smile spread across her face. "I won't, I promise!"

----

Ichigo blinked as the plane landed. When she left the airport, Mint, Lettuce, Pudding, Zakuro, and Keiichiro were waiting for her.

"Hey! How was it?"

"How's Masaya doing?"

"What did you do?"

"I hope you had a great time."

Ichigo smiled and nodded. Keiichiro called Ryou, who was waiting in the car to pick them up. "It was so much fun. I wish I could have stayed longer. Masaya said to tell you all hello, and to say he hopes he can see you all soon." She paused before continuing, a dreamy look on her face as she remembered the trip.

"How can he see us?"

"Is he coming here?"

Ichigo became excited. "Yeah! His school's taking a field trip to Japan in two weeks! He'll be here, and he promised to come visit all of us!" Hearing a meow, she turned and saw a cat looking at her. "Hey, kitty!" She bent down and held out her hand. The cat looked at her for a second, then turned and started to cross the road. Ichigo's eyes widened. "Oh, no!"

"Ichigo?" Mint was watching for the car. "What's wrong?"

"That cat's going to get hit!" Ichigo started running. She could hear her friends behind her.

"Ichigo!"

"No, stop!"

She ignored the shouts and ran straight across the street. Cars screeched to stops as the girl raced towards the cat. Just as she scooped it up, she heard a squeal of tires, and one of her friends screamed her name. Turning, she could see Ryou's shocked face through the windshield just before the car slammed into her.

_Masaya… _She saw her boyfriend's face looming in the darkness. _"Don't forget me, alright?" "I won't, I promise!" _Everything went black.

O.O

Ichigo opened her eyes slowly. "Ow…" she winced. There were bandages on her head and ribs. "What happened?" She looked at the people gathered around her hospital bed for an answer.

"Ichigo," started Lettuce, "they're called accidents for a reason. Please don't get mad when we tell you."

"I – I won't get mad, I just want to know…"

Mint spoke up. "You were running across the street and Ryou hit you. Don't you remember?"

She shook her head. "I remember… a cat…"

Keiichiro laughed nervously. "Well, the good news is, the cat's fine. Unfortunately, you suffered some injuries."

Ichigo bit her lip. "Will I be okay?"

Zakuro nodded. "Don't worry, you'll be fine soon."

Mint sat on a chair next to the bed and took Ichigo's hand in her own. "We've got to go so you can rest." As the others started to leave quietly, she continued, "Ichigo, you better get well fast. We don't want Masaya to be worried. When he gets here in two weeks, you're both going to want to do as much as you can together. You don't want to be stuck in bed when he visits." With a kind smile, the girl rose and started to leave.

"Wait, Mint!" Ichigo's friend stopped at the door and looked back. Ichigo struggled to sit up. "Listen, just tell me one more thing. Who's Masaya?"


	2. A Broken Promise

A/N: Wow, I feel loved! Three days after the last chapter, I already had four reviews! Thank you to all of my readers! I personally think Masaya and Ichigo make a _really _cute couple, but I guess not so many people share that emotion… Alyssa, that had been my plan, but I might make a love triangle (KishxIchigoxRyou). Masaya is out of the picture, though, since she can't remember him. Stick'ums, thank you for the compliment to my writing! Gomen nasai to all of you who've been eagerly waiting! Funny story, this has been done since a couple days after the last one went up, but I hadn't had a chance to move it to the computer with internet… Now, without further ado, for the second chapter!

Disclaimer: I am not the creator of Tokyo Mew Mew and/or it's characters. I just love to adore the cute people -cough-RYOU-cough- from the series. Ryou is just so cute! Especially in that scene in the first volume, when Ichigo brings him food, and right after she runs out, he's just sitting there holding the rice ball with _such_ an adorable expression! Squeal! -Ahem- Anyway, I had nothing to do with the creation of Tokyo Mew Mew.

Chapter 2 – A Broken Promise

"Ichigo…" Mint stared at her friend, shocked. "What do you mean? Masaya's your boyfriend, remember? He went to England, so we held a pretend wedding for the two of you in Café Mew Mew! Don't tell me a little bump to your head made you forget him!"

"Mint, I – I don't know who he is. I don't remember anyone named Masaya. The name doesn't even begin to ring a bell."

"Ichigo, quit playing games!" Mint was yelling now. "It isn't funny! There's no way you could have forgotten Masaya! You just got back from visiting him!"

"Well, excuse me for getting hit by a car!" Ichigo carefully got out of the hospital bed and stood in front of her friend. "I'll bet you're the one playing games, Mint! There's no Masaya! You're just trying to scare me!" Her voice was a mixture of anger, panic, and false reassurance for herself. "You want to make me think I fell in love and forgot the boy!"

"No, Ichigo, you really do love him! Remember when the aliens were here? He turned into the Blue Knight to protect you!" _No, _thought Mint, _she hasn't forgotten. She can't have! _"And then when Deep Blue buried Masaya's consciousness, Masaya found a way to come back anyway! He sacrificed himself to save you! How could you forget?"

"No." Ichigo covered her ears and sank back down on the bed, squeezing her eyes shut. Tears formed under her eyelids. "No! I had to defeat him by myself… I had to fight Deep Blue all on my own! There was no one to help me!"

"And then you gave him your life! _You love him, Ichigo!"_

"No! Stop lying, Mint!"

"Hey, what's going on here?" An alarmed doctor ran into the room. He looked from Ichigo to Mint. "Miss, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. It isn't good for the patient to be stressed so soon after her head injury. We can't tell yet if she's suffered brain damage. If she has, more stress could cause memory loss."

The rich girl was hardly listening. "You were so depressed when you had to stay away from him because you were part cat!"

"No… it's not true! I was upset because the aliens were attacking!" Nurses came in and lay Ichigo down under the covers, trying to relax her. Other attendants took Mint's arms to lead her out.

"Ichigo, stop playing around! You have to remember! He'll be here in two weeks! You'll see him then, and you'll remember!"

Ichigo broke out of the nurses' grasp and climbed out of bed. Running to her friend, she slapped the girl's cheek. "Stop it… just… stop talking. He was never there. Stop lying. I had to fight Deep Blue alone. I killed him because I wanted to avenge Kish, who I thought Deep Blue had killed. There's no Blue Knight. No Masaya. There was never a wedding. You're just trying to make me think I've forgotten something important. You know what I've forgotten, Mint? I don't remember why I ever wanted to be friends with you."

That felt like another slap. "Ichigo…" Tears came to Mint's eyes. She blinked them back and shrugged off the attendants. Slowly, Mint walked to meet her friends in the lobby.

"Mint, what's wrong?" Lettuce asked worriedly.

"Ichigo, she… I don't know what happened but she lost her most important memory."

"Ichigo has amnesia!" Ryou was stunned.

"No… not exactly. She remembers almost everything. It's just… every time Masaya was there, anything that had to do with him, her memory edited him out. She doesn't remember him, the Blue Knight, or even the wedding we went to all that trouble to give them. She thinks she fought Deep Blue alone. It's as if to her there's no Masaya."

The others looked at each other, wondering what they could do. "Come on, let's go back to the café," Keiichiro finally suggested. For once, there was a grim look on his usually cheerful face.

As they all left the hospital, Ryou hesitated, looking back towards Ichigo's room. _She forgets Masaya…?_

"Ryou, you coming?"

"Yeah, just a sec." _This could be my chance…_

_o.o_

_Ichigo… what's wrong? Why can't I stop thinking about Ichigo? _Masaya tossed and turned in his bed. Finally, he got up and went to get a drink of water. _I'm sure everything's fine. If something went wrong, someone would have told me. Right? _He sat on the edge of his bed, staring at his cell phone as if expecting it to ring. Suddenly, it did. His heart jumped. _Who would be calling this late? _A feeling of dread clenched his heart in its hand as he remembered that he had told Ichigo to call him when she got home. _Ichigo… what if she found someone else? Is that why she hasn't called? No – she promised she wouldn't forget me, and Ichigo wouldn't break that kind of promise. _Finally, he picked up his phone and hit the button to answer it. "Hello?"

"Hey, Masaya?"

The boy's throat went dry. "Yeah… is this Mint?"

On the other side of the call, in Japan, Mint nodded, even though Masaya couldn't see her. "Yeah… um, listen, it's about Ichigo." _What am I going to say? "Look, she's fine and dandy, except, oh yeah, it's like you never existed." _

"Break it to him gently," Lettuce had suggested.

"Tell him when he comes I'll give Ichigo a love pill and she'll fall in love with him again!" Pudding had offered enthusiastically.

"Listen," Zakuro had advised, "if you had a boyfriend who totally forgot you, how would you feel when you found out? Tell him she's in the hospital, and why. Tell him she doesn't have any major injuries, but don't tell him that she forgot him."

Suddenly, Mint realized that it had been almost a minute and Masaya hadn't said anything. "Um, Masaya?"

A lump had risen in Masaya's throat as soon as Mint mentioned Ichigo. He tried to swallow it. "Yeah," he replied, croaking slightly. "Is Ichigo alright?"

"Well, here's the thing. There was a cat crossing the road… she had to help it… it wasn't Ryou's fault, he tried to stop the car…"

"Ryou… hit Ichigo… with a car?" Masaya's fist clenched – he had never liked Ichigo's boss.

"Masaya, he didn't do it on purpose. It was her own fault-" Mint heard Masaya draw in a sharp breath, and remembered exactly who she was talking to. "No, it wasn't anyone's fault. Look, she's fine. She hurt her ribs, and her head, but the doctors don't think anything's broken. In a few days she should be fine."

"Well… thank you for calling me."

"No problem… bye." Mint started to hang up before she blurted out the whole truth.

"Wait, Mint!"

She winced and spoke into the phone again, hoping it would be quick. "Yeah?"

"Did she… did Ichigo happen to mention me?"

"Yeah… um… we were talking about you as soon as we told her what had happened. She was so excited to tell us you were coming to visit. Listen, I'm at work right now, and the café's busy, and with Ichigo gone we really need everyone to pitch in. Don't worry, she'll be fine."

"Alright… thanks."

"Bye."

"Bye." Masaya stared at his phone. _Is it me, or did she sound like she was hiding something? _He stood and walked to his window. _What's wrong with Ichigo? _He looked at the picture of the girl on his dresser. _Ichigo… _When he finally fell asleep, he was clutching the picture.

Mint sighed as she walked out of the café. Looking up at the sky, she wondered what she was supposed to do. Masaya would find out the truth eventually. Ichigo had always been the leader of the Mew Mews, but Mint was her second in command – Pudding was too immature for the position, Lettuce too clumsy, and Zakuro… well, Zakuro wasn't really made for leading a group. Now, with Ichigo hospitalized, Mint was going to have to step up to the plate. The other girls were just leaving the restaurant as well. Mint made a quick plan. "Mew Mews," she called, "it's time for a meeting." The other girls turned to look at her.

;3

Ichigo was sitting in her bed with her hands around her knees, staring out the window. Ryou watched her silently for a moment from the doorway. He couldn't see her face, and he wondered what she was thinking. Was it really all just a joke, or could she honestly not remember anything about Masaya? Finally, he walked over to her bed and laid a hand on her shoulder. Her head turned to look at him. "Ryou…"

"Ichigo… the doctor said you were fine. You can come home now."

"Come back to work, right?"

"Well, let's just say the restaurant's not doing too well without you."

"Jerk," she muttered. She climbed out of bed and stretched. "I'm more than ready to go home. Just… if I'm going to work, I have one demand."

"You want a raise?"

She shook her head. "I don't want to have the same shift as Mint. I can't work with that girl anymore."

Ryou was slightly surprised. "You never seemed to mind before."

Ichigo went into a nearby bathroom to change out of the hospital dress. When she came back in regular clothes, she stated, "I do now. She's so… she told me there was someone named Masaya. She said I had been in love with him at one point. Don't you think I would remember that?"

Ryou nodded. "Yeah… look, don't get yourself upset. I need you as a waitress." He started to walk out of the hospital ahead of the girl.

"You… you jerk!" She ran to catch up with him.

"Listen, Ichigo…" Ryou heard her stomach grumble. "Are you hungry?"

"Why?"

"Well, I'm sure you must be tired of that hospital food."

"Yeah…"

"So, let's go back to the café and grab some lunch. We can celebrate your return from the hospital."

"All right. As long as Mint isn't invited to the celebration."

"Oh, come on. You can't be that mad."

"Oh, and why's that?"

Ryou stopped and turned to her. "Because it isn't in your nature to be this mad at someone," he answered softly.

"Ryou…"

He started walking again. "Don't you remember when Zakuro wouldn't join you guys? Mint was so depressed, and you all wanted to cheer her up. Or did you forget that too?"

"Um… who's Zakuro?" Ichigo hadn't moved since Ryou had stopped to tell her anger wasn't in her nature. The boy looked back at her.

"You mean…?"

Suddenly she started laughing. She laughed for so long, and so hard, that Ryou was afraid she would suffocate. "Your face is turning blue, Ichigo…"

She gasped for breath. "I'm sorry. It's just… I… I know who Zakuro is. You… you should've seen your face!" She wiped tears out of her eyes, still shaking with silent laughter. Then she ran to catch up to Ryou. "Man, that felt good!" she exclaimed as they started walking again. "I guess I was pretty upset, because it seemed like Mint was trying to scare me by telling me I'd forgotten something like that. But it's alright, I was just stressed."

"So, you'll let her come?"

"Yeah. I don't want to lose a friend over something like this."

"Ichigo… you should stop frowning over Mint."

"Why?"

"Well… you're so much cuter when you smile than when you frown. You look so pretty when there's a smile lighting up your face." _I haven't seen you smile like that since Masaya left. Did you miss him so much that it dimmed the light in your eyes? I hardly noticed… now that you've forgotten him, will you start smiling again? _"I really… like your smile, Ichigo."

The girl stopped walking again. "Ryou?" He didn't even look back at her. _What does he mean by that? _

_---_

A/N: Actually, memory loss is nothing to laugh about. When I was little, my grandfather had Alzheimer's, and it got to the point that he could remember that my grandmother was important, but he couldn't remember why. Memory loss is a serious, sad thing, not to be made fun of. I just thought it made a good plot… I showed the first chapter of this to my friend, and she was confused by the emoticons I put in. Those are to show a transition in the story, from one place or time to another, in case anyone else was confused. I try to make them match the story – make them look like the expressions a reader might have, but it doesn't always work so well… Anyway, I do think MasayaxIchigo is cute, but so is RyouxIchigo, and KishxIchigo too. So I'm not even quite sure what the pairings will end up… Kish might come back and set off a love triangle… and I also like LettucexRyou, so I might try to fit that in, although I only really saw it in Volume 3 of the manga… I haven't seen any of the anime, but I've read the whole series and I'm anxiously waiting for A La Mode to come out. Until next time, I leave you with:

STAR (Smiles, Tears, Apprehension, Review please!) just came up with that on the spot actually, the first three apply to emotions I hope my stories cause… not that I want you sad, but… XP You probably don't get what I mean, even I don't get what I mean sometimes.

Lil-Brown-wRen


	3. I Want to Be your Light Bulb

Disclaimer: Tokyo Mew Mew is all mine! Mia Ikumi: Excuse me? Me: Erm, and by mine, I mean Ikumi-san's… -hugs Ryou plushie- But this is mine! Ikumi: Hand it over. Me: -wimpers and hands over plushie- But… but… Ikumi: No. Mine.

Chapter 3 – I Want to Be the Light Bulb

((A/N – I know, that sounds really stupid, but you'll see))

"Alright. Everyone know what to do?" Pudding, Lettuce, and Zakuro nodded. "All right!" Mint held up a determined fist. "When we see Ichigo, Plan Memory goes into action!"

Pudding's face suddenly lit up excitedly, and a worried look clouded Lettuce's features. "Oh, dear," the green-haired girl said. "What if, before we make Ichigo remember anything, she falls in love with someone else?" Pudding, meanwhile, ran off towards the door of the restaurant. Mint scoffed at Lettuce, ignoring the younger girl.

"Don't be silly. Who would she fall in love with?"

"Ryou," responded Zakuro.

"Did someone call?" Giving a small yelp of surprise, Mint spun, seeing Ryou standing right behind her. Behind him, Ichigo was making her way over, with Pudding hanging onto her arm.

"Are you sure you don't like him?"

"Very sure."

"Really? But he likes you a lot!"

"Mm hmm."

"He kissed you, remember?"

"Pudding, long-distance inter-racial relationships just don't work for me. Sorry, but I don't think Kish is my type."

"But he WAS the first person who kissed you."

"And he was also the first person who tried to kill me and my friends, ne?"

"Okay… what about the Blue Knight?"

Ichigo looked at her, then at Mint. The rich girl held her breath, but Ichigo smiled. "Are you all against me?" Mint breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well, I'd love to hang around, but I've got an art class. Welcome back from the hospital, Ichigo."

"Oh… thanks… bye…" Ichigo watched Mint leave. "I guess we'll postpone the party till later then…" She couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed.

"I have a photo shoot to go to. Sorry, kiddo." Zakuro followed Mint.

"All right, have fun!" Ichigo tried to smile, then sighed. "Well, I guess it's just-"

CRASH. "I'm so sorry!" Lettuce was bowing to the girl whose parfait she had just spilled. Realization dawned over Ichigo.

"Hey! They left me to work by myself again!"

Pudding looked up at her. "Whaddo you mean? Lettuce and I are here…"

"Yeah… great…" Ichigo grabbed a mop and started working. "Ryou, I changed my mind, I do want a raise!"

The boss paused on his way into the kitchen. "Alright… but you have to make me more onigiri to earn it." He disappeared into the back.

"Ryou! You jerk!"

In the kitchen, Ryou sighed as he passed Keiichiro.

"Something wrong, Ryou?"

"Kei… you've always been there for me to talk to…"

"And I still am. What's on your mind?"

"Well… I've liked Ichigo for a while."

"She's so cute, it's hard not to like her."

"That's not what I mean."

"I know. Just remember, she loves Masaya."

"Yes, but she doesn't remember him. And I feel like this is a sign, like I could really use this opportunity to get her to like me."

"Do you want me to support you, or talk you out of it?"

"Either. I want advice. What should I do? Answer honestly."

"Let things take their course. If Ichigo falls in love with you, she does. Otherwise, Masaya'll be here in a couple of weeks."

"I know. So you think I should leave things as they are?"

"Act as if nothing's changed."

"But… things _have _changed. Haven't you ever noticed how her eyes light up when she smiles?"

"Of course I have."

Ryou was leaning against the counter, looking at the ceiling. "For a while, after he left, they stopped. She was still as sweet as ever, but her eyes… it was like Masaya was the light bulb, and when he left, the lamp couldn't shine. But now she doesn't remember that. Her eyes shine again. I want them to look like that. I want to be the new light bulb."

"Just don't break her heart. If she does remember him, you don't want her to have a new boyfriend, do you? She would feel terrible, unfaithful. I don't like her like you do, but I feel like she's a sister, and you know what a protective big brother I am." Keiichiro smiled softly. "All of those girls are like family to me. If you break my sister's heart, I might have to break your nose."

Ryou smiled, too. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Kei."

"No problem, Ryou." As the blonde left, he didn't hear Keiichiro add, "You know, I think Ichigo might just start to like you. And ever since that yacht party, I'm pretty sure Lettuce has liked you, too." He looked up, and realized that the boy was gone. He sighed. "He'll break Lettuce's heart, probably. Whether or not he breaks Ichigo's, too… I probably should have told him that the other girls plan to make her remember Masaya…"

:3

"That jerk… making me work all day without a raise…" Ichigo sighed and flopped down on her bed. "But maybe he's not so bad…" She closed her eyes and remembered the night she had turned into a cat… and he almost kissed her. "Oh!" Her eyes flew open, and she blushed deeply. "It's almost like I like him!" She shook her head, but now that she thought about it… she blushed again, more lightly, and giggled. Suddenly she heard someone knock on the door. "Coming!" The minute she opened the door, she was enveloped in a pair of arms, before she could even see their owner.

"Ichigo, I missed you so much! How've you been? You haven't forgotten me, have you?"

"Kish! What are you doing here!"

---

A/N: Well, that's it for Chappy 3! Stay tuned for the next chapter if you wanna see double dating, love triangles, and a Cyclops cat! ;) -Runs off with Ryou plushie- Ikumi: GET BACK HERE! Me: but it's just a plushie! It can't hurt, right? Ikumi: But I love him too! No fair, Anna-san! Me: Wait… -skids to a halt- Ikumi: -steals plushie and runs off, pulling off mask.- Mwah ha ha! Mine! Me: FROGGY-CHAN! I should have known! Get back here! -tackles Froggy and runs away with plushie-

Until next time, STAR!

Lil-Brown-wRen


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